The Exchequer

Question

I have copied a portion of a letter received from the president of a community club.

"we acknowledge receipt of their financial contributions amounting to 2.4 million to the exchequer of ISC" ISC is the club's name.

I thought the word exchequer in a formal way is reserved for the goverment. But the president disagrees and was livid when I suggested the word is out of place.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

exchequer

noun: the funds of a government or institution or individual

With a capital letter (Exchequer), it would be the government office.

Anonymous · Answer

Thanks for the reply. My concern is not about the meaning. What do you think about the usage. Have you seen the word used by organizations such as clubs?

AlpheccaStars · Answer

I have rarely seen this word used in the US. It is British English and probably quite formal. In the US, the person who is responsible for funds of a club would be the treasurer. The funds would be deposited into the club's account, and recorded in the club's books or register of accounts.

Anonymous · Answer

Thanks you AlpheccaStars. I am very confused. I did a search of the internet but I did not find any useful information about the usage. I checked the Oxford dictionary and what I understood was that exchequer is never used by a club. Please update if you have anything more to share.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

It is quite old-fashioned. I found two quotations from the 1800s - see below. The first is an Irish fox-hunting club; the second an American political ladies club. So it used to be used in clubs. But I have seen lots of modern clubs (in the US), and the office is always called "treasurer".

I need scarcely say that he had much difficulty in hunting the country during such a time-“the sinews of war,” the coin of the realm, were sadly wanting, and the exchequer of the Club was in a lamentable state of deficiency. During the year 1847 he was the uncomplaining loser of £475. He resigned at the close of the season 1847-8.

At the request of the Political Equality League, the Social Committee turned the January informal "at home," 1897, into a reception to Susan B. Anthony and invited the Political Equality League to be present on the occasion. The exchequer of the Club did not permit the purchase of china until 1898, until which time each member furnished her own cup, saucer and plate for use at the Club.

Clive · Answer

Hi,

Was the original letter written by a native speaker?

For a community dlub, 2.4 million anythingsounds to me like a lot.

Clive

AlpheccaStars · Answer

CliveFor a community dlub, 2.4 million anything sounds to me like a lot.

It depends on the currency, of course. If you had 2.4 Million in Zimbabwe currency, it would not be worth anything.

- in Mongolia, less than $2000 US.

- in Costa Rica, less than $5000 US.

Clive · Answer

Hi,

If the club is in Abu Dhaba, then

2,400,000 Emirati Dirhams (AED) is equal to 653,434 US Dollars (USD).

Still a pretty good community club. Unless, if course, a cup of coffee costs 1,000 dollars there.

Clive

AlpheccaStars · Answer

Maybe it's a polo club - I think that decent polo ponies can be very pricey, and a team needs a lot of them to play a game!

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you AlpheccaStars for coming up with these. I now feel I have to apologize to the president. I feel I should have been a bit more careful before getting in to an argument. But I love the English Forum and its knowledgeable members.

The Exchequer

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